Croydon’s Mayor has called on the government to renew funding for Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programmes, which have been called a “lifeline” for the borough’s young people. 

Croydon’s community leaders credit the most recent programmes with temporarily reducing youth crime over the summer. 

Despite what many see as their demonstrable benefit to young children and families, the Department for Education (DfE) has yet to commit to future funding for the HAF programmes beyond March 2025. 

Croydon’s community leaders have said this uncertainty is having a “negative impact” on their ability to deliver such programmes.

Croydon boasts 56 HAF programmes, which provide children with a range of activities and a hot meal during school holiday periods.

They are available to children aged between 4 and 16, who are eligible for free school meals.

One such programme is the Majestic Community Care Services, which operates out of the premises of Croydon Voluntary Action just down the road from West Croydon station.

Like many other programmes in the borough, Majestic has run four days a week for four weeks during the summer break. 

According to Anthony King, who runs Majestic, HAF programmes benefit everyone in the borough, not just the children. During a visit to Majestic’s final day of summer camp, King spoke to the local democracy reporting service (LDRS) about its impact. 

He said: “It’s really important that the DfE continue to fund HAF services and thankfully we’ve been able to keep so many young people off roads and away from street violence because over 71 schemes were funded through the HAF scheme by the local authority.

“This ensured that disadvantaged children had a hot meal and activities during the summer that kept them engaged.

"We engaged over 45 children over the summer period and they had a great time and some of them were tearful as the scheme came to an end.

“It is so important that the DfE recognise the benefits that young people and their families have by having these schemes available.

"This scheme reached out to hundreds if not thousands of children over Croydon and we actually saw a reduction in youth violence in our incredible borough.”

Majestic has placed a particular focus on reducing youth violence in this year’s programme, by working closely with Croydon police and support workers from the council. Marni, whose daughter Zaiah attended the programme, told the LDRS: “Majestic just stood out from the other clubs, especially said they had a safeguarding worker come into talk to them about knife crime against women, which was important because they’re growing up in Croydon.”

Inspector James Weston also told the LDRS how the HAF programmes align with the Met’s ambitions to reduce crime in the borough.

He said: “One of our key priorities is keeping young people safe, especially through the school holidays. 

“Having things like this here for them is fantastic, and it has been great to see familiar faces and build trust and confidence going forward.”

This emphasis on violence against women has particular relevance to Majestic, as among its members it counts Kobby Andam, whose older sister Elianne was killed in Croydon in September last year.

Kobby, along with his cousins, joined the programme at the beginning of summer on King’s recommendation.

According to his mother, Dorcas, the programme has allowed him to focus on having fun following the tragedy last year.

Dorcas told the LDRS: “It’s given him a summer holiday he deserves, especially after everything that happened. This has been just amazing.

“It is so expensive, trying to engage the children over the summer. Them going here saves us money and it gives them something to look forward to.”

During a ceremony, where he celebrated the children and youth leaders that made the programme possible, King spoke about the continuing relevance of Elianne to the programme. 

He said: “Despite the tragedy he faced a year ago, Kobby maintains such joy and doesn’t shy away from the conversation. Throughout this project, we have made sure to mention Elianne daily, every child knows about her.”

Majestic has attempted to distinguish itself as a programme by hiring young people who previously attended the programme. King believes this has meant the programme is “by young people and for young people.”

Jjay Facey, who lives in the nearby Tamworth Road estate, was voted as the programme’s favourite youth leader. Fcaey, who also plays football for Fulham, told the LDRS how the programme and it’s trips to Thorpe Park, Sky Studios and Box Hill helped inspire the children. 

Facey said: “It provides the opportunity to actually do something with your summer, not just stay inside and play PlayStation. Most of my generation are usually at home playing FIFA or Fortnite, they’re not going out to learn any life skills.”

“At Box Hill, for example, we showed the kids that hard work leads to achievement. When you’re walking up the hill it’s hard work but when you get up there and see what you’ve done, that’s achievement.”

While Majestic has run its programme for the past two years, HAF funding was first made available by the DfE back in 2018. The programmes gained new attention in 2021 when Manchester United striker and food poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford urged parents to sign up to the programmes over the school holidays. 

The programmes are tailored to children of all abilities, with many also catering to children with special educational needs. Despite this, the DfE’s lack of clarity on whether funding can be secured places the future of the programme at risk. 

In an open letter to Education Minister Bridgette Phillipson, Mayor Jason Perry said: “Local organisations delivering these vital services rely on HAF funding, and early confirmation is essential for effective planning. The full management process, run by the Local Authority, is robust but lengthy. Planning starts at least five months before delivery, allowing time to identify and engage appropriate partners.

“An early funding decision is crucial to allow this detailed planning process to run smoothly and enable our local organisations to continue supporting our community.”

Perry also called for the government to reallocate the funding for this year’s programme, so it covered the upcoming October half-term rather than the Christmas break. He said October was a more suitable time to deliver a programme, compared to December when there is less availability. 

Perry added: “Planning for April 2025, and any potential future delivery of the HAF programme is now on the minds of local residents, community organisations, schools and the Local Authority. I have spoken to partners who say the current uncertainty is having a negative impact on the deliverability of this vital service and so I urge you to make a swift decision about the funding of HAF.”

When approached for comment, a DfE spokesperson said: “We recognise that the existing Holidays Activities and Food offer is hugely valuable in making sure disadvantaged children and those on free school meals get a hot meal and social activities during the holidays. 

“Funding commitments beyond next year will be set at Budget and Spending Review. We will update on next steps in due course.”

The treasury is ultimately responsible for setting this review. The LDRS understands that more detail is expected on the outcome of this review later this year. 

Regardless of the outcome, the Croydon parents who took advantage of the HAF programmes have enjoyed weeks of quality childcare throughout what is often a stressful time. 

“As one parent at Majestic told the LDRS: “These programmes means we get time for ourselves over Summer, and they get a great break from school. It means we’re all rested by the time September comes back around.”